Thursday, May 3, 2012

A lawmaker representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Daniel Dem and a team of reporters yesterday narrowly escaped death at Kak village when armed Fulani herdsmen invaded the community.

Kak is in Riyom Local Government. The council has been under Fulani attack in the last three weeks and the lawmaker from the area led a team of journalists from Jos for an on-the-spot assessment of the crisis.The Fulani men struck again at about 10:30am when the reporters were interviewing the victims and cross-checking facts with the Nigeria Red Cross personnel. They hid behind rocks from where they shot sporadically.The reporters included Yusufu Aminu Idegu of The Nation, Yemi Kosoko of the Channels Television, Hilary Kasmir of Nigeria Standard, Samson Omale of Silverbird Television and a reporter and cameraman with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Plateau State Radio and Television Corporation (PRTVC).

The lawmaker and the reporters abandoned their vehicles and ran. He later said: “I have witnessed the crisis live. I thought it was a joke, I never knew this is what my people have been passing through. I had a close shave with death. You reporters have seen it yourselves that my people are not telling lies.

“I’m happy no journalist was injured, but my people are living in danger. There is no security. The Federal Government should provide security in this local government and restore peace.”